Time-lock



UNITED STATES PATENT Orrrca.

BENJAMIN F. FLINT, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

Mmeock.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 276,382, dated April 24, 1883.

Application filed January 31, 1883.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. FLINT, ot' Cincinnati, in the county ofHamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain Improvements in Time-Locks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to time-locks; and the invention consists in combining with what is known as the Yale Oompanys time-lock a permutation-lock so constructed and connected to the time-movement as to throw the latter out of control of the bolt-work in case the duplex time-movement shall have stopped for any reason, and a device which shall operate to restore such control before the tumblers of the permutation-lock can be set up in case either time-movement shallstill be running when the attempt is made to throw the time-lock out of control, as hereinafter more fully set forth.

Figure l is a front elevation of the combined apparatus, and Fig. 2 is a view of a portion shown more in detail and enlarged. V

Apatent was granted to me on the 28th of September, 1880, N 0. 232,604, for an automatic throw-off device to be used in connection with time-locks, and on the 7th day of October, A.

D. 1882, I filed an application for a patentin which the application of my automatic device to duplex time-movements is fully described, and hence in the present instance I shall describe it only so far as may be necessary to show its connection with the Yale time lock,

. or such as operate on the same general plan.

In the drawings the general features of the Yale time-lock are shown in the upper portion of Fig. I. In this figure A represents thedog which prevents the retraction of the bolt-work of a safe or vault door while in position, it being moved at the proper time by the lever B, which is supported by two pivoted spring-arms, D, carrying at their extremities rollers t, which rest upon the disks 0, these latter being connected to and rotated by the two time movements located in rear thereof. As either of the notches in the disks 0 is brought under. the rollers t the latter drop therein, thus permitting the lever B to turn on its axis and move the dogA down,thus undoggin g the bolt-work, which is not shown, its construction and arrangement being well understood. It is obvi- (ModeL) there would be no means of opening the door without breaking it open in some way. To obviate this objection I combine with the timelook a permutation-lock, E, constructed to operate on the plan of that for which a patent wasissued to Kook and Hall, February25, 1879,

No. 212,610, and in which an extra angle-bar,

F, is used, for disconnecting the time-lock or throwing it out of control of therbolt work. This extra angle-bar is operated by the same set of tumblers, G, that operate the other or usual angle-bar, J, but of course upon a different and secret combination. The bolt Hof the permutation lock is also used in this case for securing the bolt-work, so that even when the time-lock has ceased its control it will still be necessary to set up the combination ofthe lock E and move its bolt before the door can be opened.

In order to throw the time-lock out of control of the bolt-work, so the door may be opened in case both time-movements shall have stopped, I connect the lever B with the extra angle-bar F of lock E by a sliding bar, M, as shown in Fig. 1, this bar having 2. latorally-projecting arm, m, which carries a pin or bolt, n, that projects over the lever B, so that by drawing down the bar M, by means of the angle-bar F, the front end of leverB is drawn down, thereby also drawing down the dog A from behind the stump of the bolt-work, (not shown,) when ofcourse thetime-lock ceases to'have any control of the bolt-work. apparatus were to be left in this condition it is obvious that any one having possession of or knowingthe regular combination could set up the tumblers, and by retracting the boltH of the permutation-lock open the door, even when the time-movements were running. To prevent this I make use of the automatic device patented tome September 28, 1880, No. 232,604, modified to adapt it to a duplex timemovement, as set forth in my previous application hereinbefore referred to, the same being still further modified in this case, in order to adapt it for use in the particular connection shown.

If the i The automatic device or cast-off consists of two hooks, I, as shown in Fig. 2, each being provided with a right-angled shoulder to engage over a shaft, a, of one of the most rapidly moving wheels of the respective time-movements. These hooks are pivoted, as shown, to a bar, 0,.which in turn is pivoted upon the vertical bar M at the proper position to cause the hooks to engage upon their respective shafts a when the bar M is drawn down by the an gle-bar F, as above described. A spring, l, is arranged to press the hooks apart, so as to make them engage with the shafts when drawn down, as shown in Fig. 2, and pins 0 are arranged to act as stops to limit the outward movement of the beveled points of the hooks, it being understood that any other means may be used instead of the pins 0 for this purpose. If now a burglar or any unauthorized party should become possessed of both the secret and the regular combination, and should disconnect the time-lock by means of the angle-bar F and then attempt to set up the regular combination, so as to-retractthe bolt H of lock E, and thus entirely release the bolt-work, he could not do it, because in the act of operating the angle-bar F to throw the time-lock out of control the hooks I would be caused to engage with the rotating shafts of the time-movements, and in case either one or both of the time-movements were running, the hooks would be thrown off and the time-lock be thereby thrown back into control again before it would be possible to set up the regular combination and retract the bolt H. If but one of the time-movements should be running, the hook engaging with that one would be thrown off first, when the spring-arms I), operating to elevate the front end of lever B, would at the same time lift the bar M, thereby tipping the bar 0, in consequence of one of the hooks remaining attached to the shaft that is not moving, and thereby disconnect it also, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and by that means the throwing off of either hook is made to disconnect the other; but even if the hook connected with the stationary shaft should not be disconnected, still the time-lock would be instantly thrown into control again by the throwing off of the hook from the shaft that was running, because the bar 0, to which the two hooks are attached, being free to turn on its pivot, would allow the bar M to rise,,thus permitting the lever B to restore the dog A to its locking position.

It will thus be seen that means are provided for opening the door without injury to any :of

the parts whenever for any reason the ,two time-movements should stop, and at the same time no one, even though possessed of both combinations, can unlock the door so long as either time-movement is running.

It should be understood that the secret combination for operating the anglebar F is not to be in-the possession of the party or parties who ordinarily use the safe or vault, so that even if they should be seized by burglars and forced to disclose the regular combination, still the door could not be unlocked, this secret combination being calledinto requisition only when both of the time-movements stop.

While I have shown the bar M as being provided with the arm at and pin a for moving the lever B and its dog A, it is obvious that it may be provided with a slot of the proper length, through which a pin may be inserted into the lever B and operate the same. So, too, it is obvious that one or more levers may .be so arranged as to operate the lever B, and at the same time move the hooks I into position to engage with the shafts a, said levers being connected to the angle F by any suitable means, so they can be operated thereby whenever necessary; and hence I do not limit myself to the use of the bar M, but have shown it as one of the cheapest and simplest devices for the purpose. From what Ihave thus shown and described, any person skilled in the art can easily make the necessary con- J nections, which is all that is required in order to utilize my invention as intended.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is 1. In combination with a time-lock such as is shown in Fig. 1, a permutation-lock,E, provided with an extra angle-bar, F, said anglebar being connected with the time-lock by the bar M01 equivalent means for simultaneously throwingthe time-lock outof control and cansing the automatic throw-ofi' or hooks I to engage upon the shafts aof the time-movements, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. Ehe automatic throw-off consisting of the two hooks I, pivoted to the pivoted or rocking bar 0, with a spring arranged to cause said hooks to engage upon the shafts at when brought into position, substantially as set forth.

BENJAMIN F. FLINT.

Witnesses:

CHARLES BIRD, R. T. PULLEN. 

